Wall Street executives to Medvedev: sell state companies and root out corruption

Blackstone Group’s Steven Schwarzman

The executives of J.P. Morgan Chase, the Blackstone Group and Citigroup were in Russia last week advising President Dmitry Medvedev on how Moscow can improve its business and investment climate, writes the Wall Street Journal.

“Funds are actually scared to put money here. That’s the problem you must solve,” Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman told Medvedev.

Schwarzman counseled the Russian president to sell off state companies to private investors, while J.P. Morgan Chase CEO James Dimon recommended developing a “very strong set of legal rights” to lure investors, as the country’s notorious legal system and high levels of corruption often drive away investment.

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